• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
The largest of the ponds at Graham Swamp Preserve

Graham Swamp Conservation Area

Protecting more than 3,000 acres – 2,700 acres of which are covered in swamps – Graham Swamp Preserve offers hikers a glimpse of the dense floodplain where Bulow Creek rises.

Palm Coast      ( 29.537617, -81.206067 )      1.0 miles

Water lilies float across the placid surface of a blackwater pond nurtured by fresh water within range of the sea breezes of the Atlantic Ocean. Protecting more than 3,000 acres – 2,700 acres of which are covered in swamps – Graham Swamp Preserve offers hikers a glimpse of the dense floodplain where Bulow Creek rises.

Resources

50 Hikes in North Florida book coverHikers Guide to the Sunshine State book coverNorth Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover

Overview

Location: Palm Coast
Length: 1 mile
Lat-Lon: 29.537617, -81.206067
Type: loop
Fees / Permits: Free
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Bug factor: moderate to high
Restroom: none

Directions

From I-95 exit 289 in Palm Coast, drive east on the Palm Coast Pkwy and turn right on Old Kings Rd. Continue south 1.4 miles to the trailhead on the left.

A separate bike path starts at the same trailhead and loops north around the preserve. The preserve can also be traversed on the boardwalks and pavement of the Lehigh Trail, with its trailhead along Colbert Ln, and along a series of off-road mountain bike trails off Colbert Ln.

Hike

start your hike through the entry point to the right of the kiosk. The trail starts along the southern edge of a large blackwater pond. Beautiful sand bluffs on the far shore host a forest of sand pines. Cool coastal breezes push yellow water lilies across the dark water. You descend from sand pines into a dark hammock of sweetgum and loblolly bay, meeting a trail junction at 0.1 mile. Turn right. The trail straight ahead takes you back around the lake, and you’ll use it on the return trip.

After dropping through a floodplain forest of bald cypress, the trail rises up onto a small ridge under the shade of southern magnolias, paralleling a shallow tannic creek from which cypress knees protrude. The squishy dark soil underfoot reminds you that this is a floodplain forest, and this trail floods now and again. Crossing over a bridge, the trail rises up into an oak hammock. The forest floor is thick with coontie, a native cycad with bright red seeds.

Emerging from the hammock, the trail winds through a small stretch of sand pine forest. At 0.3 miles, you reach a T intersection at another large pond. Turn right. As the dike works its way around the pond, you come to another pond off to the right. Stay with the established trail, continuing to round the pond. The trail is slightly indistinct but leads to the left, paralleling the walk around the dike—but in the shade of the forest. A creek parallels to the left. More coontie is scattered under the trees.

The largest of the ponds at Graham Swamp Preserve
The largest of the ponds at Graham Swamp Preserve

As you emerge from the shade, turn right and continue along the pond, back to the T intersection. Turn right to retrace this section of trail. When you get to a spot where it looks like the trail goes straight and to the right, turn right—confirming your turn with a blaze on your right. Crossing the creek, you notice bamboo in the floodplain, and thick clumps of sphagnum moss clustered around a side pool.

Dropping back off the ridge into the cypresses and loblolly bay, you come to a T intersection at 0.7 mile. Turn right to loop around the far side of the big pond. The saw palmettos crowd closely around this narrow path. Pause at an opening on the edge of the lake, looking down into the dark, clear water to see the aquatic plants that thrive beneath the surface.

A few more minutes down the trail, and you come to the outflow of the pond. Royal ferns and cinnamon ferns line a shaded opening onto the lake as you wander along a bayhead. As you rise up a steep slope, the trail curves up into the sand pine forest. It broadens and becomes easy to follow as you walk along the sandy bluffs above the pond. It veers away from the lake towards the entry gate. Returning to the kiosk, you complete the 1-mile loop.

Category: Biking, County Parks, Day Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, North Florida, Off Road Biking, Trails, Water Management AreasTag: Botanical, Flagler Beach, Palm Coast, Wildlife Viewing

Reader Interactions

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

NORTH FLORIDA

NORTH FLORIDA OVERVIEW
East Coast Greenway. Florida Trail

Amelia Island. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Lake Butler. Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Micanopy. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. White Springs

Our Newest Books

The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideOur definitive guidebook to planning backpacking trips on the Florida National Scenic Trail, now in its fourth edition. Full data charts and maps. B&W, 356 pages. $19.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail Hikes 2nd edition coverFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


50 Hikes in Central Florida 3rd edition
Explorer's Guide North Florida & The Panhandle guidebook
Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala guidebook

Florida Trail Apps

Farout GuidesFarout Guides Comprehensive logistics and offline maps for the
Florida National Scenic Trail (1,500 miles), the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (108 miles), and the ECT Florida Connector (92 miles).

Explore More

Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Riverfront with picnic tables

Chastain-Seay Park

Chastain-Seay Park
Tannic stream sluicing through riverine forest

Santa Fe River Preserve Gracy Trail

Santa Fe River Preserve Gracy Trail
Pine forest with blue blazed pine tree

Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve

Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve
Teal blazes on footpath in sandhill habitat

Belmore State Forest

Belmore State Forest

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2023, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact